Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is an annual holiday celebrated in much of North America, generally observed as an expression of gratitude, usually to God. The most common view of its origin is that it was to give thanks to God for the bounty of the autumn harvest. In the United States, the holiday is celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November. In Canada, where the harvest generally ends earlier in the year, the holiday is celebrated on the second Monday in October, which is observed as Columbus Day or protested as Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States.

Traditional celebration

Thanksgiving is traditionally celebrated with a feast shared among friends and family. In both Canada and the United States, it is an important family gathering, and people often travel far distances to be with family members for the celebration. The Thanksgiving holiday is generally a "four-day weekend" in the United States, in which Americans are given the relevant Thursday and Friday off. Thanksgiving is typically celebrated almost entirely at home, unlike the Fourth of July or Christmas, which are associated with a variety of shared public experiences (fireworks, caroling, etc.). In Canada, it is a three-day weekend as Thanksgiving falls on a Monday.

Related Topics:
Fourth of July - Christmas

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Since at least the 1930s, the Christmas shopping season in the U.S. traditionally begins when Thanksgiving ends. In New York City, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held annually every Thanksgiving Day in Midtown Manhattan. The parade features moving stands with specific themes, scenes from Broadway plays, large balloons of cartoon characters and TV personalities, and high school marching bands. It always ends with the image of Santa Claus passing the reviewing stand. Thanksgiving parades also occur in other cities like Plymouth, Houston, Philadelphia (which claims the oldest parade), and Detroit (where it is the only major parade of the year). Due to the earlier date, Santa Claus parades in Canada do not fall on Thanksgiving; the only major parade on that day in Canada is the Oktoberfest parade in Kitchener-Waterloo.

Related Topics:
1930s - New York City - Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - Santa Claus - Oktoberfest - Kitchener-Waterloo

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While the biggest day of shopping of the year in the U.S., as measured by customer traffic, is still the Black Friday after Thanksgiving (the biggest by sales volume is either the Saturday before Christmas or December 23), most shops start to stock for and promote the December holidays immediately after Halloween, and sometimes even before.

Related Topics:
Black Friday - Halloween

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American football is often a major part of Thanksgiving celebrations in the U.S. and likewise Canadian football in Canada. Professional games are traditionally played on Thanksgiving Day in both countries; until recently in the U.S., these were the only games played during the week apart from Sunday or Monday night. In Canada, these are the only games played on a Monday except for the Labour Day classic, and on the Civic Holiday. The Detroit Lions of the American National Football League have hosted a game every Thanksgiving Day since 1934, with the exception of 1939-1944 (due to World War II). The Dallas Cowboys have hosted every Thanksgiving Day since 1966, with the exception of 1975 and 1977 when the then-St. Louis Cardinals hosted. Additionally, many college and high school football games are played over Thanksgiving weekend, often between regional or historic rivals.

Related Topics:
American football - Canadian football - Canada - Labour Day - Civic Holiday - Detroit Lions - National Football League - 1934 - 1939 - 1944 - World War II - Dallas Cowboys - 1966 - 1975 - 1977 - St. Louis Cardinals

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U.S. tradition associates the holiday with a meal held in 1621 by the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Some of the details of the American Thanksgiving story are myths that developed in the 1890s and early 1900s as part of the effort to forge a common national identity in the aftermath of the Civil War and in the melting pot of new immigrants.

Related Topics:
1621 - Wampanoag - Pilgrim - Plymouth, Massachusetts - Myth - 1890s - 1900s - Civil War - Melting pot

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In Canada, Thanksgiving is only a three-day weekend(Although in some provinces it is a four day weekend, Friday-Monday), and the holiday is not as important as in the US. Because of the shortened break, there is far less travel during Canada's Thanksgiving and it is far harder for families to come together. As a result, Christmas is therefore the more family oriented of the two holidays. Additionally, while the actual Thanksgiving holiday is on a Monday, Canadians might eat their Thanksgiving meal on any day of that three day weekend. This often means celebrating a meal with one group of relatives on one day, and another meal with a different group of relatives on another day. In addition, the early date means the weather is generally warm enough in many regions that it is completely ignored and becomes a day of recreation or going to the cottage as opposed to a family gathering. Some suggestions have been made to move the date onto another day of the week and another time, most likely to the same date as the US Thanksgiving (fourth Thursday in November), although no changes are planned. For Roman Catholic Quebecers the holiday, called l'Action de Grâce, had slightly more religious overtones. Today, it is seldom celebrated by Quebecers and is considered to be a regular holiday.

Related Topics:
Cottage - Quebec

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